Wizcrafts

I have a domestic machine like that one in my leather shop. Even after tweaking it I could barely get it to sew 6 ounces of apron suede with a #18 leather point needle and #69 bonded thread. Plus, it needs to be hand wheeled to start sewing into suede. Veg tan of the same thickness would be even harder for it to penetrate and hold down. I recondition and sell old iron Singer domestic machines as a side business. The only ones that I've had and sold with confidence to people wanting to sew leather were a Model 27 and a Model 128. These machines from the turn of the 20th Century have bullet shuttles and long cylindrical bobbins. They can handle up to #92 bonded thread, if you can locate #19 or 20 leather point needles. Otherwise, they easily sew 9-10 ounces of bridle leather with a #18 needle and #69 bonded thread. Having a very large handwheel helps them punch through the leather much easier than smaller wheel models. Plus, they were able to sew 5 to the inch at 10 ounces. Anyone needed to sew over that will need to buy an industrial (preferably walking foot) sewing machine that was built strong enough to sew leather. This leaves out all of the straight stitch tailoring machines (I have a 31-15 and previously had a 96k40 and know their limitations).

Not bad to my eyes. I've sewn on a couple of soles with my Cowboy CB4500 (using the inline foot set from Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines) and it didn't look any better than what your Landis did. Maybe you can rig up a temporary flat bottom plate and trim the high side of the bottom of the foot to eliminate the unwanted push.

Since your conchos use Chicago screws to attach them to a belt, why don't you just get a hole punching tool and punch holes for them into your new belt, then screw them on yourself? The actual hole diameter for Chicago screws is 3/16 inch (aka: #6 leather hole punch). As for the corners protruding on bends, that is difficult to fix short of cutting out the area used be each concho to countersink them, so to speak. That will require either a two layer belt, with the top layer having the cutouts, or a steady hand with a leather gouging tool. The three piece buckle set also needs to be fitted. I missed that when I first posted my reply.

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I merged the duplicate topics into this topic. All is present here.

I think that this thread and needle chart may help you choose the best combinations.

Eddie; If you live in the USA or Canada, you can buy a Family Sew servo motor from any of our member dealers whose banners appear on top of each page on Leatherworker.net. Many of us are using the FS-550s, which has recently been replaced with a newer model: FL550. You can order it with a very small 2" pulley that really slows it down and adds a lot of punching power. If you edit your profile to show your location, we can recommend a dealer closest to you.

Cogged, if possible, because of the tiny motor pulley. Definitely use type 3L v-belts rather than round leather, which will tend to slip a lot under load.

Marcus; You didn't list your location. According to your IP address, you are probably located in or near Georgia, in the USA. We do have leather crafters in Georgia who can make your Santa belt. If nobody else answers your request, contact me via the form on my website, at: www.rw-leatherworks.com Regarding tooled belts, they can only be tooled once. The impressions are stamped and carved in and are permanent. Your buckle is smaller than most Santa belts, which tend to be 4" wide. What you would need is called a taper belt, which is narrower at the buckle and billet ends.

Needle System 135x17 (round) or 135x16 (leather)

Loosen the screw on the right end of the Latch Opener lever, push/pry the opener to the left for more clearance, then tighten down the screw. It should just pull back on the boon case as the top thread comes down and off the needle. Then it should begin to move left and release the case to pass the top thread as it goes over and under the bobbin case.

Sticks; Have you read about the Family Sew servo motors? I have to believe that somebody in the UK sells this brand. This motor starts spinning at 1 rpm if you so desire. It doesn't have a lot of torque at the slowest speeds, which is why many users add a speed reducer. I have this motor powering a big Cowboy CB4500, through a 3:1 speed reducer. I can sew 1 stitch every 8 or 9 seconds if I had reason to do so. Once in motion it penetrates the thickest stack of leather (unless the belts slip). The same motor without a speed reducer powers my long arm walking foot machine. I can hold it at a steady pace of about 1 to 1.5 stitches per second at the low end, with the speed limiter all the way down to 350.

The case you linked to doesn't look that bad. Does the seller guarantee that it will fit the camera? If so, it can be treated and dyed. Loose stitches can be gone over, even by hand needles if necessary.

I meant to say that this camera is a clone of a Leica III-F

The camera is a clone of a Leica F type. I'm not sure if the lens collapses onto itself, like some of the Elmar and Summicron lens did. At any rate, the hump for the lens will be much smaller than for modern DSLRs that have telephoto lenses. I have sewn camera cases and can tell you with certainty that it requires a Claes, Singer, or Adler large bobbin patcher set up with #92 or #138 bonded polyester thread. There is a lot of gluing involved of inside linings and outer covers. This job, depending on the condition of the original case, will not happen fast, or cheaply. Scott; have you considered looking for a Leica F case?

If you look up a couple of posts, you'll see that the OP sold his machine in November, 2013.

Black thread tends to be very twisty due to being double dipped. Try reversing the direction of the bobbin inside the case.

The strange thing about patchers is that they don't care if you bath them in oil or just drip in a drop or two every now and then. Most of them are hand wheeled, or treadled at such a slow speed that friction from heat never occurs. OTOH, glue or tape between pieces, or very flexible leather does affect the loop formation. Then there's that thin paddle shaped check spring to consider. They wear out faster than you'd think and stop providing good back tension to the top thread coming down the barrel. That's probably 50% of the problem and it is a real pain to replace them on a patcher.

I don't know how the foot pedal's pot would be connected to the servo motor. That's for the electronics gurus to figure out. My pedal uses a 500k audio log taper long life pot with a sealed carbon element. But, once they come up with a way to have an external pot, as long as the cable can be up to 3 feet long, a steel guitarist's volume pedal makes an excellent enclosure. They pivot very smoothly from the rear and have tension adjustments that can be set to your foot action. I set mine so it stays put wherever I have it when I take my foot off the pedal. There are 4 screw-on rubber feet to keep the pedal in place. Anybody pondering this idea needs only to go to your nearest bar that has live Country Music bands that have a steel player. I'm sure he will let you look over his floor volume pedal. If you are in mid-Michigan, look me up for where I'm playing on any given weekend.

Since you live in Ohio, the man to ask is Bob Kovar, in Toledo, at Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines.

I experience these moments when I sew on my patchers. At any given moment in time, one or both of them will skip stitches on an important repair job. The very next job will be sewn perfectly. They both prefer to listen to Internet Country radio stations. They agree with my choices of KEQX in Texas, or KWKZ in Cape Girardeau, Mo.

The reason a CB 341 might sew up to 1/2 inch has to do with it being setup with System 190 needles. Even then, I believe that the needle bar would hit the top of the raised feet at 1/2 inch elevation. I had a National 300N that I converted over to System 190. I was able to sew 7/16" of leather, maximum. Sewing any thicker would require a set of feet with lower top surface profiles. NB: Sewing such thicknesses on a walking foot machine causes the crank that comes in from the back of the head to move higher in the head. Metal has to be removed from that area in order to let the high riding crank shaft clear the head. Basically, the machine is being converted into a "stroker."

For those of you who are thinking about instituting a pot pedal, are you aware of the floor pedal used by pedal steel guitarists? They are made of aluminum and are fully enclosed. Some, like my Goodrich pedal, have a power jack on the back that uses a standard wall wart converter. Others, like the Hilton, use a different jack for a plus/minus supply. These pedals come up for sale on the Steel Guitar Forum on a regular basis. Here is an ad for a used Goodrich pot pedal for sale.

I sold my 300N a year ago for $750.00, complete with a servo motor I bought and installed. It was a most awesome walking foot machine. It is a lot like a Consew 206RB-5.

Thanks for that suggestion. If I ever decide to remove the commercially produced gradient and make my own, I will use lead pencil strokes. The one I have in there was pre-printed on thin plastic for Leather Machine Company and offered to their customers.